Smoking Linked to Serious Cancer Risks, New Study Finds 

Smoking Linked to Serious Cancer Risks, New Study Finds. Credit | Pexels
Smoking Linked to Serious Cancer Risks, New Study Finds. Credit | Pexels

United States: The American Cancer Society says that all the factors that causes cancer are not coming up like smoking as smoking leads to nearly 20 percent of the cancer cases and nearly about 30 percent of the cancer deaths in the United States. 

Their new exploration shows that if further people stopped smoking or made healthier choices, like losing weight, numerous cancer cases and deaths could be averted. The ACS found that 4 out of 10 cancer cases and almost the half of all cancer deaths in people 30 and older could be avoided by making these changes. 

Dr. Farhad Islami Calls for Action 

 As reported in New York post Dr. Farhad Islami who penned the Thursday report said he was “alarmed” that almost 169,800 Americans died in 2019 from smoking. 

Smoking Linked to Serious Cancer Risks, New Study Finds. Credit | AP
Smoking Linked to Serious Cancer Risks, New Study Finds. Credit | AP

He is calling for tobacco control policies in each state — the ACS finds that raising the price of cigarettes through excise taxes works best — and more screening for early detection of lung cancer

Islami, ACS’ senior scientific director of cancer disparity research, noted increases in certain obesity- related cancers, particularly among young people, while urging “interventions” to promote healthy body weights. 

1.78 million cancer cases and 595,700 cancer deaths were recorded in 2019 among Americans 30 and older. 

Main Causes of Cancer and How to Prevent It 

 The researchers mainly focussing on 30 types of cancer to estimate how many cases and deaths were due to risky behaviour such as tobacco and alcohol use, obesity and red meat consumption physical inactivity and UV exposure, among others. 

They determined that 713,300 cases and 262,100 deaths in 2019 could have been prevented form that. 

Smoking was responsible for the largest proportion, contributing to 56% of cancers in men, 39.9% in women and 19.3% of all cases. 

Excess body weight came in second with 7.6%, followed by alcohol (5.4%), UV radiation (4.6%) and physical inactivity (3.1%).